Tuesday, May 20, 2014

VIRTUS WORKSHOP: PROTECTING GOD'S CHILDRENSUNDAY. JUNE 22. 2:00 P.M. OR MONDAY. JUNE 23 7:00 P.M.The VIRTUS workshop is for any staff member of volunteer of the parish who has not been certified as VIRTUS trained. Extraordinary Ministers, Lectors, Adult Servers, Cantos/Musicians, Catechists, Ushers, Counters, etc. are REQUIRED to attend this workshop. Unlike the CORI, staff and volunteers are only required to attend this workshop one time. A Certificate of Completion will be presented to all who attend. If a staff or volunteer does not attend this workshop, they will no longer be able to work/volunteer until it is complete.

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(What's rather ironic to me is that my parish, and many others, have a hard enough time as it is getting people to volunteer…I mean, did the notice have to be so bleeping threatening?)

But what does VIRTUS stand for?

Is it an acronym? If so, what do the the letters represent? I always see it in capital letters, but could it actually refer to the ancient Roman deity "Virtus," who "personifies" the ancient Roman concept of virtue?

Does it matter? Well, yes, since I registered for the program. So it does to me.

From VIRTUS® Online, we find at least one article which references Debra W. Haffner.

Okay. I read the article. It smacks of kindness and all that, but gee…abortion — besides being a cause for excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church, sheesh — kinda smacks of child abuse in the major leagues, doesn't it? You know…sucking a living kid out of the womb, poking a scalpel into a partially born child, that sort of thing? No?

Gee, Kelly, that was awhile ago…

Yeah? Well then there's this letter the Reverend Debra Haffner, consultant, apparently, to VIRTUS® (which is a "program and service of The National Catholic Risk Retention Group, Inc" — read: insurance company) is a signatory of. To President Obama. Asking, of all things, to "expand abortion coverage worldwide." She joins folks like Fran Kissling (used to run "Catholics for Choice," Barry Lynn (Americans United for Separation of Church and State) Martha Shiverick (Planned Parenthood)…and a host of others Who Really Like Abortion Even Though They're "Religiously Affiliated."